Nothoanungitopsis urophyllae Crous, sp. nov.

MycoBank number: MB 839297; Index Fungorum number: IF 839297; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11943; Fig. 42.

Etymology: Name refers to the host species from which it was isolated, Eucalyptus urophylla.

Mycelium consisting of brown, finely verruculose, septate, branched, 2–3 µm diam hyphae. Conidiophores dimorphic.

Microconidiophores erect, flexuous, brown, thick-walled, 50–80 × 4–6 µm, 2–3-septate. Macroconidiophores erect, flexuous, brown, finely verruculose, unbranched, thick-walled, base swollen, 8–12 µm diam, with rhizoids, 5–18-septate, 100–350 × 5–8 µm. Conidiogenous cells terminal, integrated, medium brown, finely verruculose, 15–35 × 4–5 µm, with several sympodially arranged flat-tipped denticles, scars 2–3 µm diam, unthickened. Conidia solitary or in chains of two, fusoid, 3-septate, straight, apex subobtuse, base subobtuse with truncate hilum, 1–1.5 µm diam; two central cells brown, thick- walled, finely verruculose; end cells subhyaline, smooth, thin- walled, (15–)16–18(–20) × (4–)5(–6) µm.

Culture characteristics: Colonies erumpent, spreading, with sparse to moderate aerial mycelium and uneven margin, reaching 5 mm diam after 2 wk at 25 °C. On MEA, PDA and OA surface and reverse isabelline.

Typus: South Africa, Kwazulu-Natal Province, Kwambonambi, on seed capsules of Eucalyptus urophylla (Myrtaceae), Apr. 2017, M.J. Wingfield, HPC 2868 (holotype CBS H-24395, culture ex- type CPC 38059 = CBS 146799).

Notes: Neoanungitea was introduced to accommodate two species occurring on eucalypt leaf litter in Australia, and characterised by having a rachis with flat-tipped sympodial loci, similar to but less conspicuous than those of Anungitea (Crous et al. 2019d). Nothoanungitopsis adds a third genus to this complex. Although it has unthickened conidiophore scars and conidial hila as in Anungitopsis, it is distinguished by lacking globose, brown swellings in its conidiophores, and having conidia that are unevenly pigmented, with two brown central cells.

Based on a megablast search of NCBI’s GenBank nucleotide database, the closest hits using the ITS sequence had highest similarity to Anungitopsis speciosa (strain CBS 181.95, GenBank EU035401.1; Identities = 344/413 (83 %), 38 gaps (9 %)), Anungitopsis lauri (strain CBS 145067, GenBank NR_161129.1; Identities = 331/399 (83 %), 37 gaps (9 %)), and Neoanungitea eucalypti (strain CBS 143173, GenBank MG386031.2; Identities = 312/378 (83 %), 26 gaps (6 %)). Closest hits using the LSU sequence are Neoanungitea eucalypti (strain CBS 143173, GenBank MG386031.2; Identities = 547/588 (93 %), one gap (0 %)), Anungitopsis speciosa (strain CBS 181.95, GenBank EU035401.1; Identities = 542/588 (92 %), one gap (0 %)), and Spirosphaera   beverwijkiana   (strain   CBS   469.66,   GenBank HQ696657.1; Identities = 541/588 (92 %), one gap (0 %)) – also see Fig. 1.

Authors: P.W. Crous, J.Z. Groenewald & M.J. Wingfield

Fig. 1, parts 1–5. Consensus phylogram (50 % majority rule) resulting from a Bayesian analysis of the Dothideomycetes LSU nucleotide alignment. Bayesian posterior probabilities (PP) > 0.79 are shown at the nodes and the scale bar represents the expected changes per site. Thickened branches represent PP = 1. The branch leading to Superstratomycetales was halved to facilitate layout. Families and orders are indicated with coloured blocks to the right of the tree. GenBank accession (superscript) and / or culture collection / voucher numbers are indicated for all species. The tree was rooted to Diaporthe perjuncta (voucher BPI 748437, GenBank NG_059064.1) and the species treated in this study for which LSU sequence data were available are indicated in bold face.

Fig. 1. (Continued).

Fig. 1. (Continued).

Fig. 1. (Continued).

Fig. 1. (Continued).

Fig. 42. Nothoanungitopsis urophyllae (CPC 38059). A. Conidiophores on PNA. B–D. Conidiogenous cells giving rise to conidia. E. Conidia. Scale bars: A = 80 µm, all others = 10 µm.